Hermione and Her Prince
by articcat621
Summary: Hermione is willing to risk it all to be with the prince who has captured her heart.


A/N: Many thanks to my beta, gaeilgerua, for their wonderful help. Any remaining mistakes are my own. My remix tale follows the story outline of the original Little Mermaid story, not the Disney version.

Also, thank you to the wonderful mods for hosting the fest over the past few years. I'm bummed that this is the final round, but kudos to the mods for keeping this going for as long as they did and all those that have helped keep this fest alive. xoxo

About Ariel and Eric: Ariel is the princess of an undersea kingdom who falls in love with a human prince when she visits the surface. She rescues him after his ship sinks and becomes obsessed with him. She pays a high price to a sea witch to be reunited with her prince on land, but Eric is in love with the person whom rescued him (the girl who found him on the beach, not Ariel). He marries the other girl, leaving Ariel to die.

Warnings/Spoiler: This fic contains main character death. Sorry in advance for the feels.

* * *

**Hermione and Her Prince**

It is wrong to imagine nothing but sand and fish below the surface of the sea. For far below the surface leagues away from land, is life unlike any other. Flowers that glow in the dark seawater and plants so green and strong, they stand higher than any tree of the surface. Among the green of the sea is the castle of the Sea King. It stands tall among the kingdom of merpeople, made of multitudes of colourful coral so bright, it could be seen miles away.

The Sea King never looked after his home; instead, his mother took care of it, for the King was a widower of many years. His wife was killed by a ship smashing into the rocks of a lagoon she was upon. So, the King lived alone with his three sons and two daughters.

His eldest daughter was seventeen, Hermione, was looked after by her grandmother as her father was too busy running a kingdom to look after her and her siblings each and every day. Hermione had wild, brown hair adorned with a single large pearl and a pale blue tail that she decorated with pearls, shells and seaweed; she was beautiful. Her nature was sweet and gentle, but naïve as she was still young and did not know much of the world outside her father's home. She was only allowed to leave kingdom grounds with an escort, usually her older brother, but was forbidden under any circumstances to go to the surface. Her older brother, Harry, was twenty and the only one to be able to leave the kingdom without supervision and could even go to the surface.

She would spend her days in the garden, tending to her sweet plants. Her garden was filled with red and blue flowers that appeared like fire within the ocean water. Unlike her other siblings, she did not join Harry to explore shipwrecks. She had no interest in looking at broken ships and sunken treasures. Ginny, Ron, and Neville loved to go to shipwrecks to find many treasures among them to decorate their own rooms or garden. She never took anything, except for one time. She kept a white stone statue of a handsome boy in her garden and planted a tree that bore beautiful rose-like flowers next to it. She had found it a few months prior and was smitten with the image. Harry had helped her bring the statue home, and she was grateful for his assistance. Out of all of her siblings, Harry was her favourite. He understood her in a way that the others did not.

Nothing gave her more pleasure than to learn of the surface world, she pestered her grandmother for stories of it for hours on end. Her grandmother knew of the flora and fauna on land, and of the differences between their two worlds. She was jealous of her older brother, who got to see the world above the water. He said it was an amazing sight, but warned that the people there were unkind and cruel; if they ever saw Hermione, little boys would throw rocks at her, men would try to steal or kill her, and women would look at her with disgust. Hermione always kept that at the back her mind, but it never diminished her curiosity about the world above her.

One night, as she saw the sun begin to set through the amber glass, she left the castle alone and swam towards the surface. She had managed to slip past her siblings and the guards, and for the first time, excitement and wonder-filled her as she swam upwards. Her heart raced in her chest, and she could barely contain herself.

When she broke through the surface, a soft gasp of wonder escaped her lips. The light and sky was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. The sky was painted with crimson reds, pinks, blues, and purples. Slowly, as she lingered there and watched, it turned to night. She had never seen such beauty before. The sky was filled with small bright lights as she looked upwards. Harry had told her about them before – she assumed they must be the stars he had spoken of. The sea surrounding her was calm, no waves stirred the black waters and the air was still, not a single breeze blew by her. She trembled from the chill of the air.

Looking around further, she found that she was not alone on the surface. Out in the water stood a still ship with three masts and the sails were furled. The sailors did not move about but rather relaxed or worked in the cabins within the ship. The deck was illuminated with hundreds of coloured lanterns, and the sound of music surrounded the air. Hermione carefully moved closer to the ship so that she could get a better look. Peeking through the cabin window, she saw a few people inside. One was a prince with blond hair and grey eyes, which could tell from the small crown on his head.

He left the room and appeared on the deck of the ship moments later. Hermione swam a little bit further away so she could continue to watch. The moment he stepped foot on the deck, rockets shot up through the air and exploded in colourful lights in the night sky, making it as bright as day.

Hermione was startled by the loud sound and dove under the water. She watched the bright colours from beneath the surface, and after a few moments, she swam back upwards. Her heart raced as she watched the colours explode above her. "Amazing," she whispered in complete awe.

It looked like stars were falling from the sky, glowing multitudes of colours around her. The rockets illuminated the ship enough that she could see every person, the small details of their faces, the clothing that each person wore upon the ship. She couldn't stop staring at the prince as the music swelled throughout the night. He was handsome… More handsome than any merman she had ever laid eyes upon.

Hermione stayed despite the fact that she knew it was late in the evening and all the light diminished upon the deck, still she stayed. She knew that the longer she stayed, the more likely it would be discovered that she was missing. However, she couldn't pull herself away from the fascinating ship. Humans were interesting, and she didn't want her first experience at the surface to be over just yet.

However, the ocean began to churn, and it signalled that a storm was quickly approaching. The waves rose and fell, each growing in size as the previous one broke in front of it. The air began stirring wildly, the wind blew harshly, and a rumbling sound began to fill the air. The ship's sails unfurled and the ship continued on its journey, but the waves kept growing higher, knocking the ship hard, lighting began to appear, and the sky darkened. Hermione's heart raced nervously as she watched the ship… She knew with an ache of her heart that it would likely join the others at the bottom of the sea.

The ship began to creak and groan as planks started to drift away in the waves that hit the deck. The middle mast, snapped in two as easily as a twig, the ship turned onto its side and water began rushing into it. It was dark, so dark that she could barely see her hand in front of her face, a flash of lighting displayed the scene in front of her. She saw all from the deck earlier, except the prince, he fell deep below the waves into the water.

For a split second, Hermione was glad, that meant he could be with her in the sea, but then she remembered what her grandmother had told her, "Humans cannot live below the sea as we do, they will die without air."

Knowing what she had to do, Hermione quickly dove beneath the surface. She soon found the prince, he was steadily losing his ability to swim in the storm. She swam to him, dodging the planks and beams that floated dangerously among the waves; and when she reached him, she kept his head above water and let the waves drift them wherever they went. Her body ached with the strain of holding him upright, but she didn't want to let him die… She couldn't.

By the first light of morning, the storm had ceased, and Hermione and the prince were safe, but the ship wreckage was nowhere near them. The sun rose red in the sky, the prince breathed but did not open his eyes, Hermione stroked his wet hair and kissed his forehead tenderly. She willed him to live and kissed him again. He seemed so similar to the statue in her garden, it was almost eerily. She looked up and saw land surrounding them; she saw lush mountains with white snowy tops, a green forest abundant with life of all sorts, and large stone building but she could not tell what it was. Here, she was able to swim close to the shore. She laid him on the soft, white sand gently, letting the sun warm his cold body, then bells were heard, and a group of girls came out onto the beach. Hermione swam away from the beach and into the deep water, she hid among tall rocks to await the fate of the prince. She watched, her stomach churning with nerves.

A girl came forward and was in shock at the sight of the prince, she quickly gathered people there, and the prince came to life. He smiled sweetly at the girl, but not Hermione. He did not know that Hermione was the one who had saved him. This caused her heart to sink with sadness. She dived down into the blue water to return to her father's kingdom with a heart filled with sadness.

* * *

Hermione was always quiet and elegantly reserved in nature, but now she was far quieter than before. She rose each day with the same sadness heavy upon her chest, and each night she went back to where she left the prince, gazing upon the beach. She saw changes each night upon the landscape, she saw flowers to fruit, snow upon the mountains melt, but never the prince. Despite her hopes, he was never there. Each night she left sorrowful. She still spent her days in her garden, leaning up against the white statue, but left her garden unattended, which turned it into a dark and gloomy place where the flowers grow over the paths and onto trees.

Finally, she could bear it no longer, she confided with her brother and then asked if he knew of where the prince could possibly be. If anyone could help her, it would be her sweet Harry. Harry, who hated seeing his younger sister like this, asked among his friends if they knew where the prince could be. One did, he showed her the prince's castle, and for days she would stay there, watching him from afar.

She sought her grandmother for knowledge of the surface world, she knew all of the upper world, or as Hermione called it, the land above the sea.

"Do humans die like us, grandmother? Or do they live forever if they do not drown?" Hermione asked her, looking at her grandmother with wide eyes. She wanted to know more about the type of life the prince would live.

"Yes, they die like we do, little one; but they have a shorter life than we do. Some of us can live until they are 300 years old, but when we die, our bodies turn into foam in the sea, unlike humans."

"It seems cruel that they do not live as long as we do," Hermione said, already mourning the death of the prince she didn't know.

Her grandmother patted her on the head lovingly. "Indeed, Hermione, but that is the way that the world is." She looked at her granddaughter. "Life isn't always fair."

* * *

Hermione swam far away from her father's kingdom to seek out the sorceress of the sea. She was unable to handle being without him any longer. Her dreams were filled with her living happily ever after with her prince, and her thoughts during the day were filled with ideas of how to make her dream come true.

She overheard someone talking about the dark sorceress, and immediately, Hermione knew that was her answer. She typically stayed away from that part of the sea, due to her father's orders, but if that's where the sorceress lived, that's where she would go.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

There lived half animal, half plant beings that grabbed onto any life that swam by and killed it. Hermione tried swimming far away from their grasps, but their appearance frightened her so that she almost turned back, but the thought of her prince kept her going forward.

_ You can do this, Hermione,_ she told herself.

She came across a cave and tightening her hands into fists, she entered it. Sure enough, there was the sea witch.

The sorceress grinned at Hermione's appearance. She switched her tail, moving closer to Hermione. She was a mermaid in theory, but the dark magic had twisted her appearance. She was almost not recognisable as a mermaid. Her tale was rotten, in a way, the scales dark and decrepit.

"I know what you want. It is very stupid, of course, but I will give it to you. You want to have legs instead of a tail so that a prince may love you." The witch, Bellatrix, laughed loudly. "I will help you, of course."

"You will?" Hermione asked, hope blossoming in her heart. It had been a dangerous move to go to Bellatrix for help, but if it worked, she would do it… She would do anything.

"I will give a potion so that when you swim up onto the shore and drink it, your tail shall split into two and you will feel great pain during the process." She paused, her grin deepening. "But, all who see you will call you the most beautiful thing they ever saw. You will still glide gracefully as you did before and no dancer shall ever be able to match such grace, but every move you make will cause nothing but pain. It will feel like knives are stabbing you with every step you take. If you bear this all, I will help you." She looked at Hermione, patiently waiting for her response.

"Yes, I will," Hermione said as she thought of the prince and the chance at having her own happily ever after. She wanted to be on land… She wanted to be with her blond prince.

"But, be warned, if the prince does not marry out of pure love, you will never have a happy life as a human. And if he were to marry another, at the first light from the sun the morning after his wedding, your heart shall break, and you will turn to foam." Bellatrix cackled.

"I will do it," Hermione replied in a small voice. In the back of her mind, she wondered what Harry would do if he knew what she was doing. Likely, he would talk her out of it, but for good reason. However, Hermione didn't care… Harry didn't understand the longing that she felt in her heart. None of her siblings would… Not Ron nor even Ginny.

"Yes," Bellatrix said, "but I still need payment. And it is not a trifle that I ask of you; you have the sweetest voice of all who live in your father's kingdom. What I ask of you, is your voice."

"But if I have no voice, how will I be able to talk to him? How do I tell him how I feel?" Hermione asked in a small, scared voice. For a second, she was contemplating changing her mind.

"My dear, you have so much going for you. Have you changed your mind already?"

"No, I'll do it," Hermione said, determined.

* * *

Hermione swam up to the shore of the prince's castle and laid there upon the beach, she drank the bitter potion and felt nothing but unbearable pain, and she soon saw nothing but blackness.

She awoke sometime later. Groggily, she sat up, and she saw her prince there, holding her upright and asking for her name. She shook her head, knowing that she wouldn't be able to speak. Touching her throat, she looked at him.

"Ah," he said, nodding in understanding. "My name is Draco."

Hermione's eyes watered. _Draco_, she thought. _What a handsome name_.

"Well, you're lucky that I found you," Draco said, grinning. "Come on, I'll take you back to my castle. We can get you cleaned up and in some fresh clothes." He helped Hermione to her feet.

The witch was right, for every step she took, the pain was all she felt, but she still glided gracefully. It would all be worth it once Draco fell in love with her.

"Did your ship crash?" Draco asked as they walked.

Hermione nodded, knowing that it was as good as any answer.

"Well, you're lucky to be alive," Draco told her. "I went through something similar, you know. A young woman rescued me…" he trailed off, smiling.

Hermione's heart warmed. Maybe Draco did remember her rescuing him? Maybe he just didn't remember what she looked like. Hopefully, spending some time with him would jog his memory.

"Come on, let me show you my kingdom," Draco said.

* * *

Later, she stood among those in the court, performers were singing for him and his aunt, the Queen. Hermione stood awkwardly, her heart racing as she looked around. The large skirt swished around her waist as she moved. Human clothing was not what she had anticipated it being. It looked comfortable, but honestly, she felt that it was scratchy against her skin.

Listening to the singers, Hermione tried not to roll her eyes. She knew for a fact that her voice was better than the humans around her. But without her voice, there was no way for her to prove it. So instead, Hermione lifted her arms up and danced across the floor, her beautiful dance touched the hearts of the people far more than of the songs. Draco's eyes lingered on her with every movement, and Hermione found herself falling even more in love with him.

The next few weeks, he insisted upon her being at his side. They spent days together, he showed her everything within the kingdom, she then learned more about Prince Draco. What he liked to do in his free-time, how he loved his people, and where he liked to go when he was alone. She grew to love him more each day, he was kind to her and did not care that she did not speak, even though this strained their relationship, he did not care. He spoke kindly to her and even danced with her to make her happy; although her feet bled every time they danced, she did it to make him smile.

His smile was what she loved best of all. She was even told the story of how he drowned in a shipwreck on his twentieth birthday, and a girl saw him upon lying upon the beach unconscious, she had saved his life. It was then that Hermione learned that he did not know she was the one who truly saved him from drowning, despite her initial hopes that she thought he knew. Her heart ached sadly at the realisation.

He then confided his troubles with her one day after receiving news from his aunt, Queen Andromeda. He never wanted to be a prince and heir to a throne, as his life was forever controlled. He was told that he would never be able to marry for love, but only for political reasons alone. He looked up at her with warm eyes, "If I could marry anyone, I would choose to marry you instead."

Hermione wanted so desperately to open her mouth and tell him that she would marry him back. That she loved him with all of her heart. Instead, her mouth moved, and no words came out. Draco looked at her, his gaze full of sorrow.

"Hermione," he whispered, taking her hand in his. He squeezed her hands, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it tenderly. "I have to go, I'll see you later for dinner, yeah?"

Hermione nodded, looking into his dark, grey eyes, knowing she couldn't say anything. She watched with a heavy heart as he left the room, leaving her to the books in the library. Looking around, she had no desire to read… an unusual for her.

Hours later, Hermione heard that the news from his aunt was that he was to be married to a princess of the neighbouring kingdom, to ensure a treaty between the two kingdoms. Hermione realised that although he hated his lot in life, Draco wouldn't shirk his duties, and that meant he would go through with the marriage.

It was what she loved about him.

* * *

Prince Draco's wedding was beautiful, Hermione was brought along and had to witness it all, and she mourned heavily inside but smiled for Draco. She knew that Draco hated this, she could see it in his eyes and knew what he thought. His lingering glances towards her told her as much.

_I wish it was you_, he mouthed to her.

_I know_, she mouthed back, her heart aching.

However, she had to admit, Princess Astoria was beautiful.

After the wedding ceremony, Draco and his new wife had begun sailing for Draco's new home. The celebration on the ship continued, and Hermione was there. She was there for Draco, and she would support her love until she couldn't any longer.

She knew he loved to watch her dance, so she did. She danced far more elegantly than ever before. A hot burning pain shot up her legs throughout the entire time and her feet began to bleed so much that they left marks in their wake. But she didn't care, for she saw Draco smiled at her sweetly and sadly, with love in his eyes.

Hermione knew this was her last night and after the festivities died and all went to sleep, Hermione stayed up upon the deck of the ship, gazing down at the sea below. Her heart ached with heartbreak.

Suddenly, she saw a figure emerge. It was Harry, her sweet, sweet Harry. He had heard of Hermione's fate and came to see her. At his look, her heart ached harder, and she cried.

"I'm here to help," he said to Hermione, "Ginny, Ron and Neville, we went to the sea witch for help. She gave me this." He then threw something up onto the deck, a dagger.

_What was the cost?_ Hermione mouthed, knowing that Bellatrix didn't do anything for free.

Harry shook his head, understanding her. "Don't worry about it." When she opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. "Stab the Prince's heart with that dagger before the sun rises, Hermione. His blood will spill onto your legs and turn it into a tail again, but be quick." He looked to the sky. "The sun will rise soon, and you will die if you don't do this. You can come home and be with us, Hermione, and live hundreds of years with us. Please, come home." He looked at her, tears in his eyes. "Please, come home, Hermione."

_ I love him,_ she mouthed. She picked up the dagger and held it tightly.

He gave her a look that was unreadable before disappearing beneath the surface of the sea.

* * *

The sky started to brighten as Hermione opened the door to the prince's room where Draco and Astoria slept. With the dagger in her hands, Hermione stepped closer to the prince until she was close enough to see the rise and fall of his chest. Her hands trembled as she considered what she was about to do.

She could not bring herself to go through with it, she did not feel resentment towards him, she felt nothing but love for him. She knew that without killing him, she would die and never see the rest of her family again… But her choice was made.

Hermione wished for her voice, so she could tell Draco out loud that she loved him.

Looking down on his sleeping form, she lovingly kissed his forehead for the last time. She wished nothing but happiness for the rest of his days because she loved him so and she wanted him to be happy. She wanted his days to be full of smiles and love, and she hoped that in time, he would love his new wife.

She ran out of his room and onto the deck, breathing heavily with tears stinging her eyes for the first time since she became human. Hermione threw the dagger into the ocean, the water around it turned into a dark red that resembled blood. The blade must have been cursed by Bellatrix for it to do such a thing.

She cast one final look to where Draco slept, unknowing that Hermione would be gone and dead when he woke and she threw herself into the sea with thoughts of her body turning into foam as the sun rose up into the sky, shining brightly.

Morning came, and the sky was tainted a brilliant red as the sun came up, and its first rays of light were cast upon the wedding ship.

* * *

Hermione felt light, closing her eyes as she allowed the sea to consume what was left of her. Her last thoughts were of Draco and his warm smile.


End file.
